VASLeague 2014 General Discussion

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Partisan Captain

VASLeague is an individual ASL tourney, now at its 8th edition, played mainly via internet with the
following rules:

1. Swiss System
1.1 The Swiss System is used for pairings and classification.
1.2 There are 5 rounds of 2 months of duration each, beginning on 1st January 2014; round two begins
on 1st March, round 3 begins on 1st May and so on…
1.21 If any league has less than 17 players there are only four rounds.
1.22. Three points are awarded for a victory and one point for a draw.
1.3 If two or more players finish the league with the same number of points, the following rules will be
applied for determination of final ranking:
1.3 a) Result of the game played by the players with the same number of points (NA if there are > 2
players with the same number of points);
1.3 b) Best opponents met not counting the worst and the best ( Winged Buholz tiebreaker);
1.3 c) Number of the round of the first game lost (the later the better);
1.3 d) A random drawing will be made.

2. No PbeM
2.1 The matches will be played on the VASL server live or face-to-face by default.
2.12 PBEM game is allowed only if both players agree. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please don’t subscribe if you
already know you cannot guarantee in the two months limit (60 days) enough time to play even a small
or medium sized ASL scenario live on the VASL server!
2.13 Delayed Notes
2.131 Players are suggested to exstensively use the “delayed” notes VASL tool to record HIPs,
Fortifications, Covered Arcs, Spotters, CE status, Pre-Registered hexes, and so on.
2.14 Web Dice
2.140 The use of the *Random.org* dicebot is mandatory. It can be downloaded from the Game Squad Forum (but I'll send the file to every player requesting it) and added in the VASL extension folder like any ordinary extension. The old default dicebot coming with VASL can be used only if both players agree. Please note that the Random.org dicebot soon will be included in the next VASL version, it will become the normal standard.
2.141 The use of real dice – instead of a dicebot – rolled in front of a web cam is allowed and encouraged.
Note that is perfectly possible for one player to use real dice and for the other to use a dicebot.
2.2 Scenarios and sides are freely chosen by the players, balances included. Any scenario may be
chosen. It is strongly recommended to choose scenarios according to the time and the experience both
players have. If no agreement is reached the TD will contact both players and choose the scenario
drawing the sides.
2.22 Nobody can play twice the same scenario, even switching sides.
2.23 If a scenario will not be finished by the 2 months period and the players are unable to decide an
outcome (a winning or a draw), the TD will determine the final result helped by two judges (see below).
If the number of turns played is less than half the total scenario turns (FRU) the game is lost for both
players.
2.3 Players are kindly requested to find an agreement on the result of the game and ask for the judge
decision only if any agreement is impossible.
2.4 The player who is mainly responsible for the missed game or for a delay that makes impossible to
end the scenario in time should admit his fault giving the win to the opponent.
2.5 If the players are unable to agree on the responsible both loses the game unless the TD has a clear
evidence that a player is the main responsible.
2.6 Please note that no investigation is possible on the reasons of the delay even if asked or requested to
the TD.
2.7 Please note also that the deadline is not flexible. No game is allowed beyond the deadline scheduled
for the round. This applies also in the last round.

3. TD and Judges
3.1 The TD is Enrico Catanzaro (ecz on the Gamesquad forum).
3.2 There is a “Judge Crew” of volunteers of proved VASL/ASL experience that will decide the scenarios
not ended by the deadline. The Crew is formed by notable and experienced players not involved in the same League of the game under adjudication.
3.3 Judges should be able to give their vote in no more
than 36 hours seeing the last VASL screenshot position of the game.
3.31 Players are allowed to send a brief comment to explain their plans for the endgame.
3.32 The TD will chose the two Judges among the Judge Crew trying to rotate the Judges to not
overwhelm of work anyone.
3.33 If a game has been judged in opposite ways by the two Judges, then the TD will decide.

4. Subscription
4.1 This year 32 players have conquered or maintained the right to play in the TOP VASLeague ; they will
participate in the TOP VASLeague 2014 and will play for the final prize. All other players will form the
Minor League(s).
4.2 Every minor league has more or less the same number players depending of the overall number of
players.
4.21 The TD will try to form the minor leagues according the preferences of the players and their
respective Time Zones to make easy the live play.
4.22 All players not cancelled in 2013 are automatically signed for 2014; there is no need of a formal
subscription.
4.223 Players relegated from the TOP VASLeague should indicate their respective Time Zones.
4.224 in 2014 there are three Minor leagues: -European/Oceanian Minor League (European + Australia/
Oceania Players) -US/Can East Minor League (East Coast players) -US/Can West Minor League (Central
and West Coast players).NOTE: If there are at least 12 players from Australia/Oceania an extra Minor
League will be created to gather these players.
4.3 The registration starts November 1st and is open until December 30th, 2013. On December 31st,
2013 there will be a draw for the first round and from January 1st, 2014 the matches may start.
4.4 With the registration all players accept these rules and give automatically to the TD the permission to
send and share their email addresses to all other VASLeaguers for tournament purpose. If you want keep
private your address please create an “ad hoc” email for the tournament.

5. Promotion and relegation for 2014
5.1 In 2014 the TOP VASLeague has 32 players. This is the number of players scheduled also for 2015
season. At the end of the 2014 season the last six players of the TOP VASLeague table will be relegated
to the minor league(s) and equally divided among them in the most logical way according Time Zones
and active Minor Leagues. Conversely the best six players of minor league(s) will be promoted in the TOP
VASLeague.
5.11 More promotions are allowed if there are more than six players leaving the TOP VASLeague the
following year (for example for cancellation). The extra promotions are shared equally among the Minor
leagues. Extra-promoted players are selected using rule 1.3.
5.2 When there are three minor leagues each league has two promotions. When there are instead four
minor leagues, each winner is promoted, and the other two players are selected using rule 1.3.
5.21 No promotion is mandatory. Any player could decide to stay in his minor league rather than be
promoted to the TOP VASLeague giving automatically the player below him in the table his right. In fact
minor leagues should be “Regional/Local” and gathering players with a close Time Zone (Ex: Australian/
Oceanian Players in the European League), while the TOP VASLeague gathers players from all the world no
matter their Time Zone.
5.3 New players, as well as those cancelled due to multiple forfeits, (see below) will begin, or restart,
from a minor league assuming any exists at the moment of the new registration.

6. Abandoning
6.1 We aim to have a TOP VASLeague full of *dedicated players*. Thus no player can win any VASLeague
or simply be promoted to it if has even a single forfeit in any of the five rounds.
6.2 If a player forfeits two matches he is immediately cancelled from that league. The next year that
player will start from a minor league available if he will register again.
6.2.1 A forfeited game is a game not played at all. An interrupted game or a game not finished in time as
well an early resign after the game has just started is treated simply as a lost game.
6.3. The last active player of a table, if odd for a previous cancellation, gains an automatic “Bye” against
a “dummy” player. Nobody in a tourney can gain more than one “Bye”.
6.4 If one or more players of the Top VASLeague are cancelled, for that year the number of promotions
from the minor league(s) will increase accordingly to the number of cancelled players. However the
number of promotions remains the same if the cancelled players after the fifth round are in the last six
spots.
6.41 Past experience shows that people forfeiting their very first round usually forfeits another round
thus becoming cancelled from the tournament. For this reason, a player who forfeits his FIRST round is
immediately cancelled (no reason to wait a second forfeit that happens 95% of the time).
6.5 We hope that in a couple of years all the best/more motivated players of the world will occupy the
Top VASLeague .

7. Prizes
7.1 For 2014 the First Prize for winning the Top VASLeague is a box of ” Hakkaa Päälle ” or “something else of similar value if HP is still unavailable. The First Prize for each Minor League is a copy of the latest Journal.
Everyone may add new prizes for specific spots or achievements in the various leagues.
7.2 Registration is free of charge.
Please write to VASLeague@gmail.com for questions and clarifications.

Partisan Captain

And so we are here again for the 8th year!
Please remember rule 4.22 All players not cancelled in 2013 are automatically signed for 2014, no need of a formal subscription so do not ask to join if you are already in...

New Member

And so we are here again for the 8th year!
Please remember rule 4.22 All players not cancelled in 2013 are automatically signed for 2014, no need of a formal subscription so do not ask to join if you are already in...

Active Member

One question: why is the random.org extension mandatory? I like it because it will give you a summary of dice rolls (which you can then use as an excuse), but the standard die roller works just fine. I had a discussion about it yesterday with Mr. Uckelman in Heidelberg. Joel has analyzed a statistically significant population from logs and found no fault with it. I think this places undue distrust in a standard VASSAL feature and would like this rule to be removed.

Partisan Captain

One question: why is the random.org extension mandatory? I like it because it will give you a summary of dice rolls (which you can then use as an excuse), but the standard die roller works just fine. I had a discussion about it yesterday with Mr. Uckelman in Heidelberg. Joel has analyzed a statistically significant population from logs and found no fault with it. I think this places undue distrust in a standard VASSAL feature and would like this rule to be removed.

Just like I said in Enrico's thread posted above, you won't address the concerns client side. As long as I have access to the code, I can insert what ever result I want into the response. You either trust your opponent or you don't. There is nothing more for it. FWIW, no one has more dice hangup issues than me when it comes to ASL. Dice are what ruins the game for me. I would happily play VASL with either Twister (the standard bot) or this Random.org dice bot. Just don't fool yourself into thinking anything running client side on your opponents PC is going to keep him/her honest if they have set out to cheat. There is a reason gambling sites run the randomizer server side. -- jim

Partisan Captain

Just like I said in Enrico's thread posted above, you won't address the concerns client side. As long as I have access to the code, I can insert what ever result I want into the response. You either trust your opponent or you don't. There is nothing more for it. FWIW, no one has more dice hangup issues than me when it comes to ASL. Dice are what ruins the game for me. I would happily play VASL with either Twister (the standard bot) or this Random.org dice bot. Just don't fool yourself into thinking anything running client side on your opponents PC is going to keep him/her honest if they have set out to cheat. There is a reason gambling sites run the randomizer server side. -- jim

and you are welcome of course.
The level of the players is costantly increasing in all leagues. Later (but today) I'll publish the list of the players at the moment signed for 2014 and will update the site.

per tournament rule all games start on the 1st Janauary. It's impossible an early start because all pairings are created on the 30th December and until that date everyone could join or leave the league. Later I'll publish a complete list of all players currently in, so you can easily ask and find someone available for one friendly game or two.